Many people are quite zealous of following the traditions of men. For instance, the apostle Paul was so exceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fathers that he “persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4). This same act has been true throughout church history. History reveals that many saints of God were severely punished and even put to death for rejecting unscriptural traditions such as infant baptism. In some cases, babies were ripped from the arms of their mothers and cast into lakes and rivers. Others were tossed into arenas with lions for rejecting traditions choosing to hold up scripture. Why? Because men are zealous of their traditions and will persecute to keep their ways intact!
God directs believers to submit to various authorities; yet, above all these authorities, we must submit ourselves unto God. This submission entails submitting our whole being (body, soul, and spirit) to God. Christ purchased us with His own blood on Calvary (1 Corinthians 6:20), and we are no longer our own. This means that God has the authority to tell us what to eat, where to go, what to watch, what to listen to, what to read, where to attend church, how to worship Him, and the list continues without end. Every aspect of our lives, from our thought life to our every action, remains God’s business. We should wisely submit every aspect of our lives to Him. Submitting to God enables us to resist the Devil and when we resist him, the Devil flees.
The passage may appear to directly equate obedience and submission together, but each word conveys a separate and distinct concept. Although today's passage includes both obedience and submission, it is important to recognize that these two words involve separate acts. Earlier studies noted a twofold definition of obedience: first, having an attentive ear, followed by acting upon what has been said. Dividing submission into two parts helps to better understand it too (sub + mission). The prefix sub means under (thus a submarine travels under the water), and the root word mission means to be sent out. Obedience, therefore, emphasizes the act of hearing and doing, while submission emphasizes the act of placing oneself under the authority of another.
